How local police officer (inadvertently) helped Jhonattan Vegas win 3M Open

Jhonattan Vegas was the beneficiary of both luck and the law Sunday at the 3M Open, where he earned his fourth TOUR title overall, first since 2017, with a two-putt birdie from 96 feet on the final hole at TPC Twin Cities.

Vegas’ final-round 70 included a par at the par-5 12th, a hole that could have turned disastrous if not for some serendipitous timing that involved a police officer who was working tournament security. Vegas tugged his tee shot well left of the fairway – quickly yelling “Fore!” as the ball sailed off the clubface – with a stymie behind a tree certainly in play. His good fortune came next, as his ball bounced and settled on the left arm of a Blaine Police Department officer whose arm was resting against his torso. The ball stayed right there until Vegas arrived, who was then entitled to free relief within a club length of where the officer was situated.

After a strategic drop that allowed for a gap between trees, Vegas advanced his second shot 277 yards into a front greenside bunker. Although he couldn’t convert a 7-footer for birdie, he safely avoided a square on the card. Golf tournaments can be won and lost on the margins, and this day Vegas was on the good side.

“That was wild, right?” Vegas said afterward. “Out of all the places that the ball can go to, to find a policeman. Luckily he was standing in the right place, I was able to get a good drop and have somewhat of a clear shot to the green. It's just kind of one of those crazy stuff that happens in golf.”

“That’s a big difference that the ball stayed in his arm … because if it would’ve dropped, he’s going to play it from that location,” added Mark Dusbabek, PGA TOUR senior director Lead TV Rules & Video Analyst. “However since it was in his arm, it has not found its place on the ground, so he gets to estimate the spot below where that ball is, and then he gets a club length to create a relief area from that lead point. It’s a big break for him.”

It was a surreal moment for interested onlookers, including the CBS broadcast team of Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman, both trying to rack their brains for previous comparable situations. The officer earned some comic relief as well.

“I was standing just doing security, and all of a sudden, I heard people saying, ‘Watch out,’ so I started heading for the grass and all of a sudden it’s right in here,” the officer remarked, motioning to his breadbasket. “They just told me not to move … I think everyone was just in a state of shock; they said, ‘Hold tight,’ and the golfer came in and he was like, ‘I’m sorry, man.’ Shook hands and he grabbed it, and I got out of the way.”

PGA TOUR Digital’s Charlie Kane contributed to this report